Author's Note- This was a hard one for me, I don't do guns and stuff, but I managed in the end.., I hope.
Next clue for Kirea, was; "Hard Headed Woman".
In The Ghetto
The girl was pretty banged up when they came in. He said they were both eighteen, she was small for her age.
They didn't have any family they wanted contacted, they lived alone and didn't want to worry people in the middle of the night.
Their car had been hit by a drunk driver, the boyfriend had escaped with some cuts and bruises, but she had a severe concussion and a broken leg.
Owen had been working in the pit when they'd arrived, and something about the two had caught his attention.
Maybe it was the young girl's bloodied face, so vulnerable, that tugged at his heart strings. Or the quiet alarm that the boy was displaying. Their names were Michael and Lauren, when they'd come in a couple of hours ago, Michael had told them all their papers were still in his jacket, in the wreck. He had seemed so overwhelmed at the thought of insurance papers after having had to talk to the police about the accident, that Owen had told him to, "Go, look after his girl". And that he'd be back later.
Something was registering in the back of his mind however, the boy had looked so scared.., he frowned and picked up the necessary paper work.
Things were quiet around this time at night, he saw Cristina making her way over to him and a smile came to his face. She walked right up to him, into his arms and kissed him softly, "Hey".
He checked if they were out of sight of any patients, then leaned in to kiss her back, "Hey".
They smiled, and broke apart, "Quiet night?", she asked.
He motioned with the papers he was holding, "Calmed right down after midnight, I'm just going to fill out the forms with those two from the car wreck earlier". Cristina nodded, "I'll wait, maybe we can go get a coffee". He couldn't resist one more kiss before leaving, "Be right back".
***
When he approached the room, the sound of soft sobs reached his ears. And when he pushed the door, that was ajar, further open, he saw Lauren was awake, and Michael was speaking to her. He had his cheek pressed against her hand, sobbing through his words, Lauren was stroking his hair.
Owen felt a pang inside of him at the desperation they were emitting. What was going on with these two?!
He gently knocked and Michael jumped up from the bed, whipping his face as he turned around.
"Hello Miss", he turned his attention to the girl, giving the boy a moment to collect himself. "My name is Dr. Owen Hunt, How are you feeling?". He stepped up to the bed and examined her, pleased with what he saw. "You'll need at least a week's rest for your head, and another five to heal that leg, but you'll be fine". He smiled his most reassuring smile, but she didn't return it, and before her eyes fell close again, he could see the tears that had gathered there.
Puzzled he looked at her companion, "That's good news, right?", But Michael didn't meet his eyes, shoulders slung forward, defeated, his gaze was lost somewhere on the ground.
Taking a deep breath, Owen walked around the bed and put his hand on the boy's shoulder, "Let's talk, what is going on here?".
***
The next moments seemed slowed down, to the point where he could see things happening frame by frame. The boy's arms, that had been hanging limply at his sides, came up to the waistband of his pants. The shirt Michael was wearing momentarily obscured his hand, and when it re-appeared, it was holding a gun.
The realisation that it was in fact a gun, drawn in the dimly lit room of this American hospital slowed down time even more. Then, it streamed fast, Owen's hand was swiped of by the arm that brandished then in his face, and he took a good couple of steps back, before regaining balance. Hands held out before him, he stood still.
"NO, no talking", he didn't like the flat tone in the boy's voice. A look at the girl told him she was scared. "We're gonna get out of here, and you're gonna help us or I'll shoot you".
He talked slowly and calm, "How? ", "Where are you going to go?".
The boy snarled, "Just take the bed down the hall, we'll grab a wheelchair and get into a cab, that's all you need to know".
"Why?", Owen wanted to know.
***
Cristina watched him go with a warm feeling inside. These past few months they had gotten closer and closer. They hadn't slept together for a full night yet, but they were getting there. He was doing better and better, she could tell. Life was finally letting up on them, and she was profoundly thankful for it. Was profoundly thankful for him.
Looking around her, she saw a police officer coming towards her. "Goodnight Doctor", she nodded, "Goodnight officer, What can I do for you?". "My name is officer Peters, I'm looking for those teens that we brought in earlier, victims of that drunk driver?". "Girl had a broken leg?, I was hoping that they might still be here".
"Of course", Cristina nodded again, "She'll have to stay here for at least a couple of days, Dr. Hunt is just filling out the insurance papers with them". The officer straightened up a bit, "Really?, That should be interesting, we just found out the car they were driving was stolen, we think they may be run-aways". A slight prickling spread over Cristina's skin. "The boy's mother is down at the station right now, crying her heart out, apparently he left a note saying his goodbyes, if it's really them, they're not even sixteen".
She turned in the direction that Owen had walked off in, "I'll take you, let's go".
As they came to the room, they saw part of the bed through the half open door. Cristina stepped forward, hand raised to knock, when the rest of the room came into her view and she froze on the spot. Instinctively, she motioned with her other arm to officer Peters to stand back She felt him at her shoulder, then drawing back, and heard him asking for backup via his transponder. He pulled at her coat, whispering for her to get back, but she tugged free and slowly stepped into the room.
***
"Why?", Scared, wide eyes in a very, very young face. Owen forced himself to stay here, in this moment. Not to think of all those other scared eyes he had looked into over the years. "Why?!", It was almost a sob, but the gun he pointed at Owen still didn't waver. "Because if they catch us, they'll send us back, they'll never let us see each other again". He looked at Lauren and Owen followed his eyes, she was crying softly now. Owen frowned, "This isn't good for you, please don't be so upset", he placed a calming hand on the her leg. "it's o.k, we'll figure it out". He focussed on Michael again, "You two ran away from home?'.
"We love each other, and they wouldn't let us see each other. Lauren was sobbing, and Michael blinked back tears. "Her family hates me, and my mum says we're too young for love".
He got calmer now, "So we took a car and our savings, we were going to live in New York. Everything was going fine until that drunken ass hole crashed into us".
"What a story!", Owen wasn't sure if he wanted to cry or to laugh, "A modern day Romeo and Juliet", So young, and so very dangerous because of it.
"Is that why you have the gun? Protection for on the road?". The boy nodded, and Owen sighed, thinking carefully about his next words.
"If I take you out of here, put you in a cab, the police will track it". He looked the boy in the eye, "You can try to hide, but Lauren could get brain damage from all that moving around". He stopped and let his words sink in, "Is that what you do to some one you love?".
"Shut up!!", The boy seemed surprised at his own reaction, but carried on; "You shut up!, just shut your fucking mouth and start walking!". He seemed to grow with every word he was saying, "You take her bed and start walking, now"!".
And he removed the safety from the gun, pointing it once more at Owen's chest.
***
"No", Cristina didn't raise her voice, but the two men both jumped a little at the unexpected sound. She heard Peters curse softly but vehemently behind her, ignoring him, she waited until Michael's eyes had found hers before slowly and purposefully making her way over to them.
"Cristina, get out!!", Owen's voice was almost a bark, but she ignored him as well. Still advancing, she spoke in that same, calm voice, "You can't hurt Owen". And she kept her eyes on the boy's face. He looked insecure, tacking a step back before pointing the gun at Owen with renewed flourish, "Back off, or I'll shoot him!".
She stopped immediately, standing almost next to Owen now. "Please don't hurt him", Michaels eyes came to rest on her face again, as she kept talking, "You can solve your problems in another way, but I can't be without him, please, don't hurt him".
And, moving very slowly and deliberately, she stepped sideways and forwards, sliding herself in between Owen and the gun that had been aimed at his chest.
She stopped right there, letting her hammering heart rest. The worst threat was gone, at least now she could protect him, this would be o.k.
***
Owen's heart stopped right then and there. "Was she completely out of her mind?!", putting her slender body between him and a deadly weapon?!.
Dread rendered him weak and he didn't dare to say or do anything for fear of setting off the boy, now that Cristina was the one in his direct line of fire.
***
Michael didn't seem sure what to do. Looking at the woman that had so calmly stepped into this situation, the situation he thought he controlled, doubt came over him. Her collected behaviour seemed to indicate, she was in fact the one in control here.
"Who?.., Are you..?, ..Is he.. your boyfriend?".
It was a childish question, and he felt himself blush, annoyed that he sounded like such a baby.
She answered him very seriously though, "No, he's more than my boyfriend, he promised me we'll spend forty years together".
"Oh", the boy blinked, "You're getting married?". Without hesitating Cristina answered, "Yes". He gave her an awkward smile, "Congratulations".
***
Owen felt as though as though he'd entered the twilight zone by now, but Cristina seemed to take it all in her stride. "Thank you", she smiled at the girl, who had also mumbled her well wishes, and frowned a bit. "You two seem like very polite young people", that got her an insulted snort from the both of them , even in these circumstances.
Cristina stayed serious though, "Now that you have shown everybody how crazy you are about each other, they might listen". "Especially if you're smart and polite about it".
She looked over to Lauren, "You are sick, before you guys can be together, you need to get better". She then took a step closer to Michael, "Be smart".
He looked at her, gun slightly drooping, so she continued; "You talk to your mum, she's worried sick, you sort things out, and then you guys can really be together. Then you can be happy together and not sick and running from the police".
***
Owen was holding his breath, praying to the universe to please, please, please, please, please not let Cristina get hurt. Not Cristina, please!.
He saw her step even closer to the boy, and Michael stepped back, almost reaching the chairs that were lining the wall.
***
"We stole that car, they'll arrest us", his voice got that wail-like quality again, that carried an energy that could escalate.
Cristina quelled the danger at once; "You are not old enough to get send to jail for this, o.k!!, Relax!!".
His eyes found hers, feverish, begging to be re-assured. Cristina took a deep breath, reaching deep for all the re-assurance that she could muster with a gun pointed at her.
"Michael, Lauren", she turned to the girl for a moment before addressing him again, "Nothing happened tonight, that can't be fixed", "Not yet".
She saw them exchanging a hopeful look, and took another deep breath before going on.
"But it is not o.k for you to threaten to hurt the person I love, so you don't have to make up for stealing a car!".
Two startled, young faces looked at her and the gun was now pointing more at the floor than it was at her. She didn't move to take it though, choosing instead to drive her point home.
"I believe you when you say that you love each other, and that you need to be together", "But what about us?!". She saw Michael looking behind her at Owen, then looking back at her with a guilty look on his face. "we need to be together too, and we can't do that if you shoot him, can we now?!".
She felt anger bubbling up, and still didn't move, willing the boy to come to her.
"We're going to get married, have birthdays and dinner parties, and maybe, just very, very maybe, we'll even have a baby". She heard a sharp intake of breath from Owen and turned, to smile and wink. Earning her a look of pure incredulity from the man she loved.
Turning back to the teenagers in front of her she resumed, "Are you really going to take that away from me, because you don't want to say sorry and pay for your mistakes?".
She took one step closer now, eyes sincere, "Are you really going to steal that from me? Because you know, that's not right".
At her last words, Michael's lip actually started trembling, "I'm sorry, I didn't really want to hurt him", "Please don't be mad, I'm sorry, I really am". Cristina just stared at the gun, waiting, he held out his hand towards her, and as good as thrusted the weapon in her hand.
***
She took hold of it carefully, pointing the barrel at the ground as she turned back towards Owen, who was pale as a ghost, eyes burning in his face.
He took the gun from her without a word and emptied it of all bullets. Pointing at the ground, he pulled the trigger just to make sure it really was empty, before putting it in the pocket of his lab coat, and turning back to her.
"Cristina Yang, I will kill you!!".
And under the startled glances of the teenagers, he grabbed hold of her and started kissing her as if they were alone in the world, and there would be no tomorrow.
***
"Hands where I can see them!", the sharp command drew them apart, panting. And when they turned, a fuming officer Peters was standing in the doorway. Two of his colleagues making their way over to Michael to search him.
"You Idiot Woman!!", stepping back, holstering his gun, the cop was glaring at Cristina.
"Excuse me?!", she was indignant at being addressed thus, but Peters wasn't having any of it. "You walk right into the arms of some nervous boy with a gun to save your boyfriend?!, You got some kind of super-hero complex?!!". "You think you're invincible?!".
That got Owen laughing, remembering how she'd accused him of having a saviour complex. He laughed and laughed, the built up tension leaving his body.
***
The officers had finally left, taking Michael with them. Cristina and Owen had stayed with the distraught Lauren until her parents came.
Leaving the room they bumped into the Chief, waiting for them in the hall way. He had been called out of bed and after ensuring that all was well with them, he turned to Cristina and gave her a withering look.
"Officer Peters tells me you disregarded your own personal safety and his direct orders to save your fiancé, is there anything that you would like to tell me Dr. Yang?!".
"What?!, Chief!", Cristina was amazed, "I don't work for officer Peters, I don't take orders from him", she balked at the thought.
Feeling Owen's hand on her shoulder, his voice came, close to her ear; "I think your missing the point, darling". "I think what the Chief is asking is, whether we are engaged".
"Oh!", she stilled, looking from the Chief expectant face to Owen, not sure what to say.
Owen looked at her face, turned up to him in a question. She was so beautiful, with her slender body and wild curls. She was beautiful and strong and brave. She was everything he never knew he needed, until the first time he saw her.
The image of her, calmly shielding him from that gun would stay with him forever. She saved him, yet again.
She saved him in ways he couldn't even explain. He took her hands in his, and got down on one knee.
The Chief's face slackened in surprise, as a radiant smile spread across Cristina's face.
"Marry me Cristina Yang, I need you, you save me".
She nodded, "Yes, I'll marry you Owen, I'll be proud to be your wife", and she blushed!. He couldn't believe it, but she actually blushed.
Grinning from ear to ear, he got up. They reached out for each other, holding on close, while their fingers were caressing the other's face and hair.
They stayed like that for a long moment, looking into each other's eyes. "I love you", he was the first to say it, and her eyes grew moist. "I love you too", came her whisper.
And they kissed.
The End.